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 Dear Member of the Swiss polar and high-altitude science community,
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The SPI Foundation Board appoints new Chair and Vice-Chair
The SPI is delighted to announce the appointment of Frédéric Herman (UNIL) as Chair and Christian Wolfrum (ETH Zurich) as Vice-Chair of the SPI Foundation Board. Their mandates will start on 1 January 2025. Earlier this year, the SPI also welcomed Virginia Richter who succeeded to her predecessor Christian Leumann as a new member representing the University of Bern.
Read more →
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Thank you Laurence! Nele, welcome aboard!
  On 1 November, Nele Demeulemeester joined the SPI Team as our new administrative collaborator. She took over from Laurence Mottaz who retired. We wish you all the best and thank you Laurence for your thorough commitment throughout the years! Welcome to the SPI Team, Nele! We're happy to have you on board.
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We published a new webpage offering a curated overview of specific fields where SPI could advise and provide support to the Swiss research community in preparation of fieldwork or campaigns.
To the overview →
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Extreme sailing for science during the Vendée Globe
The Vendée Globe started over a month ago. Oliver Heer has now sailed past the Cape of Good Hope and is approaching Cape Leeuwin, venturing further into the Southern Ocean. The Environmental Physics (UP) Group from ETH Zurich is posting regular updates on the data collection campaign on its LinkedIn and BlueSky profiles →
For a younger audience of about 8000 pupils all over Switzerland, the Swiss Polar Class has so far published six modules on various topics explaining the complexity of the Southern Ocean, with interviews of experts and hands-on scientific activities to do in class. The latest module focuses on marine currents →
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SPI is now on Bluesky! We are looking forward to sharing our latest news and exchanging with our community on this new social media platform. You can follow us here →
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Open calls & funding opportunities
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 © 2024 Éliot Sicaud, all rights reserved
The aim of the Polar Access Fund is to provide field access to early-career researchers, enabling successful applicants to gain critical experience in leading fieldwork and supporting their professional development.
The submission deadline is set to 16 January 2025, 12:00 (noon, Swiss time). We look forward to your proposals!
Polar Access Fund info & submission page →
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Our next available training opportunity in collaboration with GRIMM:
A two-day course addressing the needs of scientific groups going into the field focuses on first aid practices in special conditions encountered in cold and remote regions.
The autumn course will be held on 24-25 October 2025.
Find out more & contact us →
A new course in collaboration with the Advancing Field Safety programme, an initiative created by members of ETH Zurich, the University of Colorado, Boulder, and the ADVANCEGeo Partnership:
Building a positive team culture for safe and effective fieldwork
23 May 2025
Throughout this course, the participants will explore essential leadership and communication tools that empower every field team member, regardless of their role, to actively contribute to fostering a positive and supportive environment.
Find out more & contact us →
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Arctic Sunday • 26 January @ ALPS Museum, Bern |
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 © Swiss Polar Class, all rights reserved
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In collaboration with Swiss Polar Class, the ALPS Museum in Bern organises a day of exploring the Arctic where younger visitors will be able to ask a polar scientist all their questions and learn about the region through a treasure hunt. The event is part of the Greenland. Everything changes exhibition open until August 2026.
More info & programme →
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The Professorship of Glaciology, jointly operating at the ETH’s Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW) and at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), is looking for a doctoral candidate to join its team for the next three to four years.
More info on project background & job description →
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The Polar Stakeholder Engagement Portal has been launched by EU-PolarNet. The portal supports researchers in deciding which stakeholders and/or rights holders they should involve in the planning and implementation of research in the polar regions and in conducting a two-way dialogue. It is designed to be used for either Arctic or Antarctic.
More info →
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 © 2024 Swiss Polar Class, all rights reserved
In November, the Swiss Polar Class Festival embarked around 170 schoolchildren and 500 visitors on a journey of discovery of polar regions for the second year running.
Explore the highlights →
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